City Water Rates Up 8% This Summer

By ROB O’DELL

The next fiscal year’s financial plan for Tucson Water was approved unanimously by the City Council on Tuesday, paving the way for water-rate increases of 8 percent beginning this summer.

Also worked out was a compromise that would fund several water- conservation measures recommended by a city task force, although the $1.7 million to pay for them will be phased in over five years.

Conservationists’ hackles were raised because Tucson Water’s preliminary budget for 2009 funded only 25 percent of water-saving measures laid out by the task force. The budget for the next fiscal year, which will begin on July 1, called for $455,000 in water- conservation funding instead of the $2.1 million recommended by the task force.

On Tuesday, the council said it would fund the remaining $1.7 million over the next five years, although it doesn’t know yet where the money will come from.

The measures include rebates for low-flow toilets, incentives for using “gray water,” retrofitting older homes to current standards when they’re sold, rebates for upgrading irrigation systems in multifamily housing, and rebates for waterless urinals, among other things.

To determine how to pay for the programs, Councilman Rodney Glassman called for holding 12 public meetings – two in each of the city’s six ward offices – to educate residents about the conservation measures.

Glassman also called for a separate dedicated funding source to pay for the conservation programs, so conservation does not compete with other items in the budget every year.

The council endorsed both the meetings and the dedicated funding for water conservation.

Tucson Water initially called for a 10 percent increase in water rates in January, but City Manager Mike Hein ordered that cut to 8 percent.

Fully funding the $2.1 million in conservation measures this year would have boosted rates by an additional 1.5 percent, putting the overall increase near the 10 percent increase the manager ordered cut.

Evan Canfield, a member of the conservation task force, told the council that he was pleased with the compromise.

Jim Barry, of the Citizens Water Advisory Committee, said that panel supports the council action as well.

“We’re aware of the significance of the rate hikes,” Barry said. “We’re aware this is a hard time to raise rates. We think it’s justified.”

“We’re aware of the significance of the rate hikes. We’re aware this is a hard time to raise rates. We think it’s justified.”

Jim Barry, Citizens Water Advisory Committee

* Contact reporter Rob O’Dell at 573-4240 or rodell@azstarnet.com.

Originally published by ROB O’DELL, ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2008 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.